Events

At the College for Social Sciences and Humanities, academic events in various formats take place on a regular basis. You will find lectures, conferences, workshops, or panel discussions linked to different fields of research within the social sciences and humanities. Open science formats addressing the general public are also part of the portfolio.

Most events are planned by resident researchers and Senior Fellows, organised with support from the College’s event coordinator. Moreover, the College hosts select events offered by other members of the University Alliance Ruhr working in the social sciences and humanities.

The following list provides an overview of upcoming and past events at the College.

Next Event

Conference
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Queer AΦ Europe | Queer Analytic Philosophy: Social Concepts and Categories

16/06/2025, Essen | hybrid

Analytic philosophy is able, at its best, to untangle large and seemingly ineffable questions. Social ontology and conceptual engineering aim to analyse ordinary concepts and categories, such as gender, race, sexual orientation, identity, as well as social emotions. This conference presents work in analytic philosophy that focuses on the nature and properties of the social world.

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Workshop
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collage of two pictures: a photo of three EU flags on the left, a photo of a map showing Central Asia with a shadow of a plane on the right

The EU-Central-Asia Relations: Dynamics and Perspectives

25/06/2025, Essen | hybrid

This workshop will critically and comparatively examine the European Union’s and Central Asia’s bilateral and multilateral relations. Contributors will discuss regional and cross-regional challenges, interregional interdependence and connectivity, as well as soft and smart power issues.

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Symposium
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Therapeutic Encounters with Chatbots: The Social and Ethical Implications of Artificial Therapeutic Agents

01/07/2025, Essen | hybrid

This symposium will focus on chatbots in talk therapy. Developers, sociologists and philosophers will discuss the sociotechnical imaginaries, design assumptions and challenges that guide the creation of these chatbots. How can communication between humans and chatbots be designed to promote mental health and well-being?

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Workshop
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New Perspectives in Economics, Education and Social Sciences

03/07/2025, Essen | partly hybrid

This workshop will bring together renowned scholars to explore transformative ideas across economics, education, and interdisciplinary social sciences. Topics include the history of economic thought, socio-economic disparities in childcare enrolment, legal institutionalism, institutional reforms and gender, and the role of neoclassical economics in education.

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Workshop
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Ageing Materialities: Perspectives, Praxis and Possibilities

04/07/2025, Essen | hybrid

This workshop explores ageing as an interactional process and discusses the material and discursive practices that shape mid-to-later life. How do new technologies and digitalisation affect cultural conceptions of life course, later life and agency? This and related questions will be illuminated from different perspectives at the intersection of ageing studies and science and technology studies.

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Workshop
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Methodological Complexities in Cross-Cultural Life-Course Research

14/07/2025, Essen | hybrid

How do temporality, gender, class, and familial interdependencies shape life trajectories in Germany and Pakistan? In this workshop, scholars and students will discuss theoretical and empirical challenges in research on youth transitions, delayed adulthood, and evolving family forms from a cross-cultural perspective.

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Newsletter

Past Events

Conference Senior Fellows
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Albert the Great on Health, Disease, and Disability

13/01/2025 - 14/01/2025, Essen | hybrid

Albert the Great’s (Albertus Magnus) natural philosophy and observations of nature in the thirteenth century paved the way for modern science. This mini-conference focuses on Albert’s understanding of health, disease, and disability.

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Contact us

Event Coordination

Laura Ziewitz

Event Coordinator

Phone: +49 201 183 - 6545

E-mail: